Monday, September 22, 2008

Launch Sunday

Launch Sunday for The Sanctuary Pickering has come and gone! As I sit here in front of my computer on this Monday morning reflecting on the past week's events, all I can say is that my God is faithful!On Saturday night, after all the preparations have been done for Launch Sunday, hubby and I plopped down on our couch to relax. We were both understandably physically tired but incredibly exhilarated spiritually! We were both sooooo excited we couldn't sleep. As we sat there, it felt surreal to be finally on the verge of publicly launching this church plant! It felt like being pregnant for nine months and suddenly the moment has finally come to give birth.We couldn't help but think back to exactly one year ago, as we sat on the same couch, wondering why God had us in a place where we were at a crossroads; needing to hear a Word from Him as to the direction of our involvement in ministry; desperately agonizing about the "what ifs" and the "why nots"; feeling impatience creep in as God asked us to wait on Him. God asked us to wait, seeking His direction, for a few months before He provided us with an answer --- He was going to send us church planting in the very community where we live, North Pickering!

What a difference one year can make. A year ago we were waiting, today we are going! A year ago we were agonizing, today we are exhilarated! A year ago we were looking for a renewed purpose, today we are working towards a BIG goal! A year ago we were asking questions, today we are seeing answers! A year ago we were in our comfort zone, today we are being stretched and we are growing! Our God is indeed great; our God is indeed good; our God is indeed sovereign!Launch Sunday went well. New people walked through the doors of The Sanctuary Pickering. There was enough food, the music came together, the children's programmes ran smoothly. The vision was cast. Our team is incredibly encouraged. But the greatest impact for me wasn't Launch Sunday itself but the whole week leading up to it as we knocked on doors of people's homes. In my previous blog post, I wrote about my desire to see our team let our hearts be broken with the same things that break God's heart. I can tell you one thing: I saw a lot of those things in the faces of the people who opened their doors to take our flyers. The magnitude of the work that still needs to be done here in North Pickering resonated loud and clear in me as I went from door to door to door.As I think about the harvest being plentiful but the workers being few, I often find myself asking God how His work can be accomplished. God must be chuckling and saying to me: Is that a trick question? He provided me with the answer instantly this morning just as I was starting to ask again: God's work will be accomplished with God's help. Look at these verses from my devotions this morning:Joshua 1:5 (NIV) --- “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Psalm 146:5-6 (NIV) --- “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—the Lord, who remains faithful forever.” II Timothy 2:13 (NIV) --- “If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.”